Wyoming passes new six-week abortion ban that lawmakers call insult to voters'

"Earlier abortion bans, including the US's first proposed ban on abortion pills, were previously tossed out by the Wyoming supreme court which cited Wyoming's constitutional guarantee that adults can make their own healthcare decisions."

"Democratic representative Mike Yin views this now annual cycle of abortion bans as both an insult to voters and our institution, and doesn't think the new bill holds much water. Yin said: I don't see why the court would see this ban any different than a full ban."

"The bill's main sponsor, Republican speaker of the house Chip Neiman, said on the house floor that he was not troubled by the bill's legal complications. Instead, he argued that legislators had a moral obligation to further anti-abortion legislation."

Wyoming's Republican-controlled legislature passed a six-week abortion ban that criminalizes abortion after six weeks of pregnancy with felony penalties up to five years imprisonment. Governor Mark Gordon signed the bill while acknowledging its constitutional vulnerabilities. The state's all-Republican supreme court struck down previous abortion bans in January, citing Wyoming's constitutional guarantee protecting adults' healthcare decisions. Plaintiffs immediately filed suit against the new legislation. Democratic representative Mike Yin criticized the annual cycle of abortion bans as insulting to voters and institutions, questioning why courts would view this ban differently from previously rejected measures. Republican House Speaker Chip Neiman defended the legislation on moral grounds, dismissing concerns about legal complications. The new challenge was filed as an amendment to ongoing litigation against prior abortion restrictions.

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